Howgills

Today was an amazing ride, entirely solo as the real event is next weekend but as a helper I get to ride it another day.  What a day to pick...it had been warm but clear all night so the morning (I left home at 4 am) was cold, with some frosty pockets.  By the services at Tebay (the scruffy but cheap ones, not the farm shop) I was removing arm and leg warmers and slathering suncream. The forecast was for thunder and rain in the evening but the rain held off until I was on the train pulling out of Ilkley, and had stopped when I got off at Leeds...for once the gods were smiling.

This is the river Lune as it flows by the Howgills (to the right) and the M6 and West Coast Mainline (left). When I stopped to take this photo (and for someone who is slow I stop far too much but I can't resist taking photos) I just thought "Look. At. That".

I hadn't realised until afterwards but with the extra riding to the start it was 200 miles, which was nice.